After some time passed, Erik returned Christine to the
surface. Judging by his hostility, it didn’t go well. Anina watched as
Christine sprinted toward her dressing room and locked the door in a split
second. Erik looked longingly at her door from the catwalk. His yellow eyes
glinted from behind his mask as he blended into the shadows. 

What could he possibly do to make her love him? True, he looked hideous beyond
description, but he did have a heart, because now he could feel it breaking. He
wanted to cry and scream, but that was not manly. Another option, strangling
the life out of her, but he couldn’t. No way could or would he silence the most
beautiful, enchanting voice he’d ever heard.

“Anina, I know you’re there, I taught you that trick,” Erik said in an even
tone as Anina appeared behind him. She had chosen a bad moment to spy on him.
He knew how she felt toward him, but try as he did, he could not return her
love. Yet, like any man, he took what she gave without conscience.

“Oh! She removed the mask, didn’t she?” Anina taunted, her words dripped in
venom. He stiffened at her indifference and slowly turned around.

“Who are you talking to?” Erik glared at her through the holes of his mask as
she stared back blankly. “You couldn’t be talking to me, not in that tone,” he
finished. His words cut her like a two-edged sword.

“Well, since you’re all worked up...” she smiled wickedly, as she sashayed in
plain view, daring him to use his signature weapon. Times like this made Erik,
the Phantom, both hate and desire the young woman. He’d never marry her with such
brashness and boldness, but the pleasure of her body sufficed for the time
being. 

For now, they both went down to his lair so she could give him what no one else
would. In truth he never completely satisfied her, even though she felt the
passion, he didn’t love her. She could feel it in his touch, in his kiss, and in
the sound of his voice.

Tonight he made the mistake of calling her Christine. It broke her heart that
he never stopped thinking of his angel. Her loud moans finally ceased as the
Phantom and his mistress came up for air after spending the last two hours
making love. 

As she lay in the arms of the Opera Ghost, her mind flashed back to when they
first met. Simon Buquet had pushed her on the floor and started to tear at her
clothes when Erik came from out of nowhere. But the beautiful Anina was more
afraid of the drunk straddling her, than the masked resident Opera Ghost who
lurked in the shadows with a lust for blood. 

The masked man pulled out some kind of rope and was about to kill him with it,
when Anina stopped him.

“Monsieur...” she says timidly “Could you give him another chance?” He looked
like he would ignore her but in the end he loosened the rope and Buquet dropped
to the ground like a sack of potatoes, gasping for air. With one swift blow,
the Phantom knocked him unconscious and left the same way he came, without
anyone seeing. 

From then on, she tried to avoid the stagehand but he wouldn’t avoid her. Less
than a week later, he succeeded in forcing himself on her. Trapping her behind
some backdrops of past operas in the third cellar, the smelly lech grabbed her
from behind and quickly stuffed a rag in her mouth.  Struggle as she did, it only
made it worse
and he slapped her hard across the face.  With her senses reeling, she could feel
her clothes being ripped away
and his hands invading her most private areas.  
 
It seemed like an eternity of this abuse when finally he
finished violating the child and left her half conscious and half naked.   When the
Opera Ghost found out, he became
relentless.

“He must suffer to his last breath,” hissed the Phantom as he locked him in the
torture chamber while Anina sadistically watched him suffer until her
conscience took over.

“Do you see that noose on the floor?” she sighed almost audibly at her kindness
toward the bastard. “I’m giving you a chance to end your misery even though you
didn’t give me a chance to end mine.”

The next day Carlotta found the flayed body in her closet. Since then Anina
felt she owed Erik her life and she gave him everything she had; everything he
wanted. The young girl only wanted love, even if it came from the resident
Opera Ghost, but he only saw her as his student or protégé if you will.  But she had
determination. She’d have his
love no matter what the cost.